VOLUME 5 SUMMER 2017

FEATURE: 

HIGH-VOLTAGE 

TEAM POWERS 

THE POWERFUL

PROJECT UPDATES:

SET IN STONE

THEN & NOW:

U.S. CAPITOL 

COURTYARDS
AOC DOORWAYS:

A brief history of the 

famed Amateis Doors.

THEN & NOW:

A look back at the 

transformation of the 

U.S. Capitol courtyards.

FEATURE:

Learn how the AOC’s 

High-Voltage team keeps 

the campus running. 

6

PROJECT UPDATE: A newly carved bracket attached to the 

underside of the U.S. Capitol’s cornice. Photo by James Rosenthal

9

12

2

In This Issue

1 ARCHITECT’S NOTEBOOK 

 2 PROJECT UPDATES

Set in Stone

6 AOC DOORWAYS

The Doors to Nowhere

9 THEN & NOW

U.S. Capitol Courtyards 

12 FEATURE

High-Voltage Team 

Powers the Powerful 

 18 DOING GOOD

A Series of 

Compassionate Events

 21 COOL TOOLS

 Two Thumbs Up for 

Taking the Edge Off

COVER: A recently installed lantern top 

at the U.S. Capitol, replicated to match the 

original lanterns designed by Frederick Law 

Olmsted. Photo by James Rosenthal
THOLOS • SUMMER 2017 1

Walking through the Capitol campus, I 

frequently come across ornamentation in 

our buildings made from various metals. I 

was recently taking in the splendor of the 

gilded Torch of Knowledge above the Thomas Jefferson 

Building when my mind began wandering through the 

many additional decorative elements found within that 

grand building.

Architecture is always representative of culture when 

it is built. The 19th century’s influence on the design of 

the Jefferson Building can be seen from the theatrical and 

heavily ornamented Beaux Arts style, which uses lavish 

materials like gold.

Notable gold features include the striking ceiling of 

the vestibule near the Great Hall and the coffered dome 

of the Main Reading Room with 320 gilt rosettes. Even 

the copper roof was initially gilded with 23-carat gold; 

imagine that!

Some of the precious details inside, however, aren’t 

treated with this same embellishment but with another 

more surprising metal instead. Aluminum was chosen 

for leafing in several prominent places of the building 

ARCHITECT’S NOTEBOOK 

What We Hold Precious 

that are not obvious at first, including around the ceiling 

laylights of the Great Hall.

Aluminum wasn’t always as ubiquitous as it currently 

is. Just before the Jefferson Building’s construction, 

the largest piece of cast aluminum that had ever been 

created was the 8.9-inch tip placed atop the Washington 

Monument in 1884. It was considered our most precious 

metal at the time — more so than gold and silver — 

because it was incredibly difficult to obtain and to refine.

The gold, copper, bronze, aluminum and other metal 

elements all play an important role in the inspiration of 

the Jefferson Building. They are a delight to the senses. 

Treasured spaces like these on the Capitol campus create 

inspiring memories for staff and visitors alike. And the 

memories made here are precious indeed. t

Stephen T. Ayers, FAIA, LEED AP

Architect of the Capitol

LEFT: Photo by Steve Payne MIDDLE, RIGHT: Photos by James Rosenthal
2 THOLOS • SUMMER 2017

Photo by James Rosenthal
THOLOS • SUMMER 2017 3

Stone preservation is a top priority for the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), and 

with good reason. Weather, age and deferred maintenance are destroying the finer 

hand-carved details of the stone. Over time, cracks in the stone grow more serious and 

costlier to repair; ultimately the degraded stone can fall from the building, causing a 

serious safety concern to those who work and visit the nation’s capital. 

S

tone is one of nature’s 

most enduring materials, 

which is a desirable feature 

for buildings intended 

to last for generations. The time 

now spent preserving the historic 

stone on these beautiful buildings 

is an investment to ensure they will 

endure for generations to come. 

U.S. CAPITOL 

The AOC has begun an ambitious 

and necessary multi-stage initiative 

known as the U.S. Capitol Exterior 

Stone and Metal Preservation 

project to prolong the life expectancy 

and preserve the historic features of 

the U.S. Capitol, America’s iconic 

symbol of democracy. The project 

includes cleaning the stone and 

pediment sculpture, replacing the 

mortar and sealants at all of the 

stone joints, treating the carved 

stone and pediment sculpture, 

replacing stone where elements are 

missing or cannot be repaired, and 

replacing bird deterrent systems. 

“Stone throughout the campus is 

in need of attention, but exposure 

to prevailing weather, from the 

northwest, has made the conditions 

on the Senate-side of the U.S. 

Capitol Building most pressing,” 

says Mary Oehrlein, Historic 

Preservation Officer. The stone of 

the Senate Extension has not had a 

comprehensive restoration since its 

Set in Stone

PROJECT UPDATES

Photos by James Rosenthal
4 THOLOS • SUMMER 2017

completion in 1865.

When the stone is too damaged 

to save, it is removed and the 

ornaments are replicated. The 

Lee, Massachusetts, quarry that 

provided the stone for the Senate 

extension construction is no longer 

functioning. The damaged stone 

is being replaced with material 

that the AOC removed and stored 

during the extension of the East 

Front in the 1960s. Salvaged stone 

from a variety of places, primarily 

Baltimore, is being used to repair the 

Cockeysville, Maryland, stone used 

at the column shafts. 

An automated carving machine 

replicates the simple pieces off-site, 

which are hand-finished. The more 

complex items are hand carved by 

a stone carver on-site. Replacement 

ornaments are installed with mortar, 

bonding adhesives and, where 

needed, stainless steel pin anchors.

Damaged stone that 

cannot be repaired 

is removed, and the 

ornaments are replicated 

and reinstalled. Photos by 

James Rosenthal

PROJECT UPDATES
THOLOS • SUMMER 2017 5

RUSSELL SENATE 

OFFICE BUILDING

The Russell Building is the oldest of 

the three Senate office buildings and 

a wonderful example of the Beaux 

Arts style of architecture. However, 

over time, weathering and age have 

diminished many of the fine details 

of its exterior stone, allowed water to 

penetrate into the building, impaired 

the building’s energy efficiency, and 

caused operational and safety concerns.

Stone cleaning has begun in the 

Russell Courtyard for the Russell 

Exterior Envelope Repair and 

Restoration project. Scaffolding 

installation is also in progress on the 

C Street NE, side of the building, 

with restoration work following. 

Stone cleaning and restoration 

are key components of the multiphase project to preserve the exterior 

envelope of the Russell Building, 

including its exterior stone, wood 

windows and glazed doors. The 

project also includes rehabilitation 

of the balcony flooring, balusters, 

balustrades and roof chimneys. 

To make the necessary repairs, 

a number of methods are used, 

starting with the least invasive, 

gentlest materials and methods 

possible to clean the stone. t

These pictures show examples 

of progress in cleaning the 

Russell courtyard limestone, 

which is scrubbed with a gentle 

cleanser and soft brush. 

Photos by Susanne Bledsoe

PROJECT UPDATES
AOCThe A DOORW mateis Doors ar AYSe 

prominently on display in 

the U.S. Capitol. 
THOLOS • SUMMER 2017 7

I

n 1901, Congress passed 

legislation to appropriate 

funds for the Architect of the 

Capitol (AOC) to submit 

plans for reconstructing the center 

of the U.S. Capitol, a project that 

included refacing the West Front 

in marble. As plans were being 

developed, Superintendent of 

the U.S. Capitol and Grounds 

Elliott Woods began working with 

sculptor Louis Amateis to design 

a set of magnificent bronze doors 

for the new façade that would be 

comparable to those at the entrances 

of the East Front. 

Initially, the pair wanted to 

portray a series of historical scenes 

on the doors, but further research 

persuaded Amateis that the West 

Front doors would be too narrow 

for displaying anything so complex. 

After developing several drawings 

and models, they selected final 

subjects that represented more 

general themes, such as the arts, 

science and agriculture. 

The doors, initially called the 

“Apotheosis of America,” were cast 

in 1910. However, legislation for the 

The Doors to Nowhere

WRITTEN BY ERIN NELSON • PHOTOS BY JAMES ROSENTHAL

Few doors are created to lead to nowhere, but that is exactly where the 

U.S. Capitol’s famed Amateis Doors have always led. 

AOC employees, seen here in 1972, 

installing the Amateis Doors in the U.S. 

Capitol. Photos courtesy of AOC Photo 

Branch Archives
8 THOLOS • SUMMER 2017

The transom (a bar across the top of a door or window) is titled “Apotheosis 

of America” and depicts a symbolic figure of America surrounded by figural 

representations of the nation’s great achievements in education, architecture, 

painting, literature, music, sculpture, commerce, mining and industry. Below the 

transom, Amateis created two panels filled with scenes of many of these subjects 

as well as jurisprudence, iron and electricity, sciences, agriculture, and engineering. 

Bordering the transom and panels are 18 portrait figures and 28 medallions of 

people noted for their work in the fields represented in the adjacent scenes. To learn 

more about the doors, visit www.AOC.gov. 

improvement of the West Front had 

not been authorized, so a specific 

location for the doors was never 

identified — perhaps a contributing 

factor to their fate. 

The Amateis Doors, as they 

became known, were lent for display 

to the Corcoran Gallery of Art from 

1910 to 1914 and the Smithsonian 

Museum of Natural History from 

1914 to 1967. The doors were then 

returned to the AOC and placed in 

storage until a suitable location was 

identified. In 1972, AOC employees 

spent days cleaning and installing the 

800-pound doors in the U.S. Capitol

near the Crypt, where they continue 

to hang today. The doors may not 

open to the West Front or have a 

view of the National Mall, but their 

prominent display just down the stairs 

from the Rotunda allows millions of 

visitors to stop — uninterrupted by 

humidity, wind or rain — and admire 

their intricate details of our nation’s 

great history. t

AOC DOORWAYS
THOLOS • SUMMER 2017 9

A

building of such prominence and formal 

tradition would seem unlikely to have 

undergone so many changes over the decades, 

but our iconic U.S. Capitol continues to change 

to this day. The building has been topped by two domes 

and has continued to expand and evolve since George 

Washington laid the first cornerstone in 1793. 

The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) has been in 

charge of most of those projects and, therefore, is the 

keeper of many records and images that detail the 

building’s long-forgotten features. I recently discovered 

photos of the courtyards that once existed on the U.S. 

Capitol’s West Front. It was the first I had heard of 

them and — as someone who sits in an office that has 

no windows to the outside — I wondered what had 

happened to them. As it turned out, I see the answer 

every day. 

In the 19th century, the courtyards had provided 

natural light and ventilation to rooms in the basement 

of the U.S. Capitol. In 1989, modern lighting and air 

conditioning had reduced the courtyards to little more 

than storage yards. 

U.S. Capitol Courtyards

WRITTEN BY ERIN NELSON 

There is always a story waiting to be uncovered in the U.S. Capitol — 

not of politics or policy, but of the building itself. 

THEN & NOW

LEFT, BOTTOM LEFT: Views of the U.S. Capitol before the courtyards were transformed into meeting rooms, offices and connecting 

hallways in the building’s basement level. BOTTOM RIGHT: The construction site as the courtyards were filled in. Photos courtesy of AOC 

Photo Branch Archives TOP RIGHT: A modern-day, aerial photo of the U.S. Capitol. Photo by Chuck Badal
10 THOLOS • SUMMER 2017

A 1986 study had determined that the marble Olmsted 

Terrace of the U.S. Capitol had structural defects. The 

study identified the need to repair the flat terrace roofs, 

which leaked and also highlighted the condition of the 

retaining walls that were out of alignment. 

The Olmsted Terrace was designed by famed 

Landscape Architect Frederick Law Olmsted and 

completed in 1891. Its historical significance was a key 

element of the terrace restoration and courtyard project. 

It had been designed as a grand pedestal for the U.S. 

Capitol, so the project was carefully planned to ensure the 

additions and modifications were seamlessly incorporated 

into its design. 

As the need for more space materialized and repairs to 

the West Front terrace were planned, the idea to transform 

the courtyards into office space was born. What was 

once the courtyards is now meeting rooms, offices and 

connecting hallways in the basement level of the U.S. 

Capitol — which I, along with many others, use every day. 

As I began researching our files for this article, 

I stumbled across a November 1993 article from 

Progressive Architecture that described how Frederick 

Law Olmsted’s “...original 1885 west terrace was 

separated from William Thornton’s west façade and 

Charles Bullfinch’s central addition by sunken spaces 

intended as gardens but never planted. Architect of 

the Capitol George M. White hired [Hugh Newell] 

Jacobsen to fill in the wells with office space, to redesign 

and repave the existing terrace, and to design integrated 

wheelchair ramps for Thomas U. Walter’s north and 

south façades.” 

As an AOC employee, I often hear references to many 

of those names, but seeing them joined together with 

their grand achievements in one short, simple paragraph 

made me pause and marvel at their collective work. Over 

the course of several decades, these few men created one 

of the most iconic buildings in the world. 

For many, it stands today as a symbol of democracy. 

For AOC employees, it is a constant reminder of the 

great work before us each day to preserve the past, while 

seamlessly incorporating the present and planning for the 

future. t

TOP, BOTTOM LEFT: A view of the courtyard before and during construction. Photos courtesy of AOC Photo Branch Archives

TOP MIDDLE: A roof now covers the courtyard areas. Photo by Steve Payne BOTTOM MIDDLE, RIGHT: A skylight allows natural light 

to fill the hallway once occupied by a courtyard. Photos by Chuck Badal

THEN & NOW
THOLOS • SUMMER 2017 11

THEN & NOW

GEORGE M. WHITE, FAIA (1920–2011)

George M. White, FAIA, was appointed the ninth Architect of the Capitol in 

1971 by President Richard Nixon. White created the Master Plan for the future 

development of the Capitol complex. He oversaw construction of the Library of 

Congress James Madison Memorial Building, the Hart Senate Office Building, 

the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building, and the U.S. Capitol terrace 

restoration and courtyard project. 

DR. WILLIAM THORNTON (1759–1828)

Dr. William Thornton was an amateur architect who is honored as the first 

Architect of the Capitol because his design for the U.S. Capitol was accepted 

by President George Washington in 1793. He received $500 and a building lot 

in the city of Washington for his composition.

CHARLES BULFINCH (1763–1844)

Charles Bulfinch was appointed as the third Architect of the Capitol by 

President James Monroe and the Commissioner of Public Buildings in January 

1818. Bulfinch designed the original domed center building of the U.S. Capitol 

and oversaw its construction between 1818 and 1826. He also planned the U.S. 

Capitol Grounds and the original west terraces. 

THOMAS U. WALTER (1804–1887)

Thomas U. Walter’s plans for the enlargement of the U.S. Capitol were approved 

by President Millard Fillmore, and he was appointed Architect of the Capitol 

Extension in 1851. While he oversaw the construction of new marble wings, 

the commissioner of public buildings maintained the existing U.S. Capitol and 

the surrounding grounds. Walter also designed a new cast-iron Dome, which 

was authorized in 1855 and continues to sit atop the historic building. 

FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED (1822–1903)

Regarded as the founder of American landscape architecture, Frederick Law 

Olmsted is best known for designing the grounds of New York City’s Central 

Park, the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., the Biltmore Estate in Asheville and 

the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. 
12 THOLOS • SUMMER 2017

Photo by Dewitt Roseborough
THOLOS • SUMMER 2017 13

FEATURE

 In the 1800s...

 WRITTEN BY FRANKLIN BRADLEY

High-Voltage

Team Powers 

the Powerful

One technology made these remarkable advances possible —

ELECTRICITY.

The Senate employed one 

horse and one wagon to 

carry all of its mail.

Pages maintained the 

candles lighting members’ 

desks during night 

sessions.

House roll call votes 

performed by hand 

averaged 45 minutes.

 In 2017...

More than 1 million 

emails were sent to 

senators — in one 

month from members 

of one group about 

one issue.

Long-lasting, energyefficient LED lighting 

provides bright, even 

illumination around the 

clock without the heat of 

traditional lighting, cutting 

air conditioning and 

electrical costs.

Most House votes 

are electronic and last 

only 15 minutes, an 

approximate annual 

savings of 90 hours.
14 THOLOS • SUMMER 2017

T

he Capitol campus 

continuously 

consumes highvoltage electricity, 

with each building 

being fed by up to 

four 15,000 volt 

cables, known as feeders. All of this 

power is managed by the highvoltage electricians of the Architect 

of the Capitol (AOC), who perform 

maintenance to prevent electrical 

outages. Each feeder carries enough 

current that if anyone were to get too 

close, the electricity in the feeders 

could arc through the air like a 

lightning bolt and strike them.

“I’ve seen what electricity can do 

to a person, so I respect it,” said Keith 

Degay, High-Voltage Electrician 

Supervisor, who moves and gestures 

with a precise military bearing. After 

almost 20 years working with highvoltage, which requires following 

safety procedures exactly, precision 

has become second nature to him.

It wasn’t always this way, of 

course. Originally, artificial light 

was provided in the U.S. Capitol 

by flame, fueled first by whale oil, 

then by natural gas, which had its 

own dangers. Shortly after Edison 

patented the incandescent lightbulb, 

the then-Architect of the Capitol, 

Edward Clark, found that gas leaks 

were killing shrubs planted by 

Frederick Law Olmsted as part of 

his landscape redesign for the U.S. 

Capitol Grounds. Clark promised to 

investigate electrical lighting.

Gas also presented greater dangers. 

On the evening of November 6, 

1898, U.S. Capitol Police Lieutenant 

Robert S. Akers was knocked out of 

his chair by a gas explosion that tore 

open the floor of the small Senate 

rotunda. Windows were blown out 

throughout the Senate wing of the 

U.S. Capitol. A natural gas fire raged 

in the cellar below, and scattered 

small fires threatened to climb into 

the ceiling, a tinderbox of dry wood. 

Fortunately, vigilant firefighters 

averted this disaster.

Ironically, by that time, following 

successful experiments in the mid1880s, thousands of electric lights 

had been installed throughout the 

U.S. Capitol, and Clark had built 

a power plant to support them. It 

had been impossible, however, for 

him to remove all gas lights, due to 

suspicions of the new technology 

and fear of electrical shocks. The 

explosion reminded people of the 

dangers of gas and, during this 

LEFT: The 1898 gas explosion blew away the stone floor in the small Senate rotunda, exposing the cellar where a fire raged until the 

AOC’s chief electrician crawled through the debris to turn off the gas. RIGHT: Members of the press work below a chandelier with both 

gas and electric lamps. Photos courtesy of AOC Photo Branch Archives

FEATURE
THOLOS • SUMMER 2017 15

period of conversion, alluring new 

uses for this revolutionary energy 

source were being discovered, making 

possible advances in communications, 

conveyance and cooling.

One could say that the first 

text message ever sent emanated 

from the electrified U.S. Capitol 

when Samuel Morse tapped out, 

“What hath God wrought?” in his 

first telegraph message, sent from 

the chamber of the U.S. Supreme 

Court, which was still housed in the 

U.S. Capitol. The message went to 

Baltimore, and the immediate reply 

was a harbinger of the information 

age and 24-hour news cycle, “What 

is the news from Washington?”

As wires conveyed the latest 

developments, cables connected to 

electric motors carried members 

of Congress to and from their 

chambers in newly installed 

elevators and on a subway from the 

new Senate office building (now 

known as the Russell Senate Office 

Building) to the U.S. Capitol for 

debates and votes. A few years later, 

as Congress worked through a long, 

hot summer, electric fans made their 

debut in the U.S. Capitol to circulate 

the air chilled by blocks of ice 

held on 1,000 feet of rough boards 

purchased for that purpose.

With the advent of air 

conditioning in the 1930s, the 

Capitol Power Plant started 

supplying chilled water to cool 

buildings on the Capitol campus. 

While the power plant no longer 

generates electricity, it continues to 

provide chilled water and steam to 

cool and heat 23 facilities, including 

the U.S. Capitol, the Library of 

Congress and the Supreme Court 

of the United States. The local 

utility provides electricity to those 

buildings, at which point the 

high-voltage electricians ensure it is 

distributed into the buildings.

To keep the lights on, AOC 

electricians must regularly turn 

off each of the 15,000 feeders one 

at a time to perform preventive 

maintenance. Because the other 

feeders continue to carry electricity, 

this process requires the electricians 

to follow precise procedures and 

wear heavy-duty personal protective 

equipment (PPE).

Testing the House Chamber Voting Display Board after installation in 2011. The House electronic voting system made votes more 

efficient, reducing the time one vote takes from 45 minutes to 15 minutes. Photo by Dewitt Roseborough 
16 THOLOS • SUMMER 2017

“We start with heavy rubber gloves 

that are rated at 15,000 volts,” Degay 

explains. “We cover those with leather 

gauntlets, which are just to protect 

the rubber gloves. Then we put on 

our 40 cal arc flash suit, which is 

head-to-toe, with a hood that has 

face shields. All of that is fireproof.”

It’s more than just fireproof, and 

for good reason. The 40 cal rating 

means the suit will protect against 

a blast producing 40 calories per 

square centimeter. It only takes 1.2 

calories/cm2 to produce a seconddegree burn, and 4 calories/cm2 will 

ignite a cotton shirt. If a feeder were 

to arc, it would create an arc flash, 

generating blinding light, deafening 

noises and temperatures of 35,000 

degrees Fahrenheit that would 

vaporize the metal conductors, 

explosively blasting the superheated metal shrapnel outward in a 

supersonic shock wave.

With all their PPE on, the highvoltage electricians must first shut 

off the feeder by opening a breaker, 

which is like a circuit breaker in your 

house, only much larger. And, the 

amount of current carried by the 

feeders requires electricians to switch 

them off from a safe distance. When 

the feeder is off, a piece of equipment 

called a network protector ensures 

that occupants see no interruption 

in service by distributing the current 

from the redundant feeders supplying 

the building.

When the breaker is off, it must 

be cranked out of its case, along 

with any sub-breakers, to a safe 

position, where the high-voltage 

electricians verify contact resistance, 

perform cleaning and use a purposedesigned cabinet to test the vacuum 

bottles inside the relay. In addition 

to this relay maintenance, they also 

test and maintain those network 

High-voltage electrician Da’suan Mason follows precise procedures and wears a fireproof 40 cal arc flash suit while performing regular 

preventive maintenance on a 15,000 volt circuit. Photo by Dewitt Roseborough
THOLOS • SUMMER 2017 17

protectors that automatically 

switch to redundant supplies while 

they maintain the feeders. Those 

protectors are in place to ensure 

there is no loss of electricity in the 

building if there is a power surge, 

such as from a lightning strike or a 

utility outage.

Outside the buildings, the highvoltage crew keeps the lights on, 

literally. They are responsible for all 

the streetlights, parking lot lights and 

park lights across the campus, which 

is why a second shift monitors those 

areas at night. Additionally, during all 

outdoor events like Inaugurations, the 

Papal visit and the annual West Front 

concerts, they provide the power 

for security facilities, lights, sound 

systems, medical tents, television 

cameras and more.

We can’t picture living without 

electricity, and the high-voltage 

electricians of the AOC work 

tirelessly to ensure we never see that 

day on the Capitol campus.

Electricity makes it possible for 

Congress and the Supreme Court 

to serve the nation. Electricity 

propels the subways, escalators and 

elevators they use to get to and from 

their offices; powers the computers, 

phones and tablets they use to 

connect to citizens; and even heats 

the coffee they sip to stay warm 

working through winter nights. And, 

in the instant when the Speaker of 

the House flips a switch and 5,600 

bulbs on the U.S. Capitol Christmas 

tree flash to life, bringing light to 

the dark December night, electricity 

illuminates and inspires us all. t

Berry Russom, High-Voltage Electrician Leader, works on a streetlight. Switching to high-efficiency 

lamps across the campus is one way the AOC has reduced energy consumption by 30 percent within 

10 years. Photo by Susanne Bledsoe

The U.S. Capitol Christmas tree 

illuminates the West Front. 

Photo by Steve Payne
18 THOLOS • SUMMER 2017

Photo by Dewitt Roseborough
THOLOS • SUMMER 2017 19

A Series of 

Compassionate Events

WRITTEN BY JUSTIN KIEFFER

S

uch is the story of a 

16-year-old girl named 

Brittney James, who saw 

a commercial on TV and 

decided to sponsor a three-year-old 

Kenyan named Newton. Brittney 

hoped to one day meet Newton, but 

three years later she was found dead 

in her apartment at the age of 19. 

Her parents, whose lives were turned 

upside-down by her death, wanted 

to do something in her memory and 

so her father, Steve James, set out to 

meet Newton six months later.

While in Kenya, Steve 

volunteered his time as a nurse 

anesthetist. After seeing how people 

were suffering, he thought he could 

do more. Steve came back to the 

U.S. and started KenyaRelief.org, a 

group which, for the last 15 years, 

has focused on providing physical, 

mental and emotional aid through 

its orphanage, school, health clinic 

and outpatient surgery center in 

Migori, Kenya. 

At the beginning of each year, an 

advance team travels to Migori to 

conduct repairs on the organization’s 

buildings. Their work allows more 

than 20 teams of doctors and nurses 

to travel throughout the year to 

volunteer their time to perform 

surgeries for the residents of Migori, 

who would otherwise not have the 

opportunity to receive these services.

Earlier this year, Bill Burns, 

an Architect of the Capitol 

Woodcrafter Supervisor in the 

Planning and Project Management’s 

Construction Division, received a 

phone call from a co-worker asking 

if he would like to volunteer to go 

to Africa to help restore power and 

water for an orphanage. Bill who 

has lived in Pasadena, Maryland, 

his entire life said, “I had to consult 

with my wife, Mitzi, my high school 

sweetheart of 29 years about leaving 

home for 12 days and the risk of 

traveling to a foreign country, but 

told him I would most likely go! It 

was an opportunity that in normal 

circumstances, I would never have 

accepted, but I am sure glad I did. I 

went to help children and that was it.”

The trip included 20 hours of 

flying and 10 hours of driving, and 

even though the volunteers were 

well aware of the many 12-hour 

workdays ahead of them, they 

One person’s small act of compassion can start a chain reaction of kindness. 

Bill Burns poses with some of the guards 

that work for KenyaRelief. Photo courtesy 

of Bill Burns
20 THOLOS • SUMMER 2017

knew it would all be worth it after 

the children welcomed them with 

singing upon their arrival. 

Bill spent a lot of his time 

identifying issues for the other 

volunteers to repair, such as open 

junction boxes and a backup 

generator that had switching 

problems. He fixed playground 

equipment, traveled into town to 

forage for the supplies needed for 

repairs and helped design a new water 

control mechanism for their tanks. 

Steve James was extremely 

impressed with the people that came 

to volunteer their time to ensure 

systems would function properly for 

the year. “The level of expertise of 

the volunteers was a godsend,” he 

exclaimed. 

Most of the work was just another 

day at the office for Bill, except on a 

completely different continent where 

everywhere he looked reminded 

him of how hard-working, but poor 

the people of Kenya are. While 

driving to Migori he saw people on 

the side of the road cutting brush, 

making bricks and completing 

other intensive chores that would 

earn them almost nothing, but 

there is very little opportunity to do 

anything else to make money.

One day the group visited a family 

where the mother had died and the 

father could not afford childcare, so 

he could not work. The volunteers 

pooled their money and bought two 

goats for the family so that they 

could perhaps get milk or sell future 

offspring from the goats.

“I always say that life is a journey,” 

Bill stated, “but little did I know 

how much this journey would 

change the way I look at things 

today. I made the same trip Steve 

James took when he went to meet 

Newton, and I felt the way he must 

have — that we have to help these 

children that lost their parents and 

are struggling to survive.”

Although not everyone may get 

the opportunity to travel to Kenya 

to help, Bill believes that you don’t 

have to travel as far as he did to 

brighten someone’s life. “People 

can easily perform a random act of 

kindness for someone they don’t 

know without expecting anything 

in return. The feeling you get 

from doing that is indescribable 

and contagious. I realized that it 

is the little things in life that are 

important. Wanting what you 

already have and being content in 

life is the true meaning of success.”

Steve James still visits Newton, 

now 18, about twice a year and also 

supported Newton’s older sister 

through college. To Steve, Newton 

is probably a constant reminder of 

how the loss of his daughter is what 

brought him to Kenya, but also what 

brought KenyaRelief.org to Migori.

When Brittney decided to 

sponsor Newton, she set out to try 

and make one person’s life a little 

better. Despite her untimely passing, 

she started a series of compassionate 

events that continues to spread 

thanks to other compassionate 

people, like Bill Burns, that will 

go on to help numerous people in 

Kenya and across the globe. t

DOING GOOD

Bill Burns visits with children from the orphanage. Photo courtesy of Bill Burns

I always say that life is a journey, but little did 

I know how much this journey would change 

the way I look at things today.
THOLOS • SUMMER 2017 C

A

lthough most of the buildings under the 

Architect of the Capitol’s (AOC) care are 

historic, their continuing use requires them 

to be updated to meet the needs of Congress, 

the Supreme Court and millions of visitors. Installing 

electric lights, air conditioning, and cell phone and Wi-Fi 

stations made it possible for work to extend into the 

night and the summer and for communications to extend 

around the world at the speed of light.

All of those technologies, however, required metal 

conduits or metal ducts, all of which must be custom fit. 

Because the historic buildings they’re installed in weren’t 

designed with these modern marvels in mind, the metal 

Two Thumbs Up for 

Taking the Edge Off

WRITTEN BY FRANKLIN BRADLEY • PHOTOS BY CHUCK BADAL

that carries them must be cut and shaped to fit within the 

space available.

 When metal is cut, however, the edges can be razorsharp and punctuated with burrs that can catch on and 

tear anything that rubs against them, like work gloves. 

That’s why when the Senate Sheet Metal Branch learned 

about the deburring tool that their counterparts in the 

Capitol Building use to remove sharp edges from sheet 

metal from 1/32” to 1/4” thick, they immediately started 

using it.

Although it’s small and seemingly simple, this little 

tool reduces injuries by saving hands, which is why we 

give it two thumbs up as a cool tool. t

COOL TOOLS

Ernie Wichman, Sheet Metal Mechanic in the Senate Office Buildings, who brought this tool to our attention, demonstrates how he 

uses it to prevent injuries. 
Communications and Congressional Relations

U.S. Capitol, Room SB-16

Washington, DC 20515

The Architect of the Capitol strives 

to meet its mission 24 hours a day, 

365 days a year to serve Congress 

and the Supreme Court, preserve

America’s Capitol, and inspire

memorable experiences for all who 

visit the buildings and grounds.

Tholos is distributed by the Architect 

of the Capitol primarily for AOC 

employees. Questions regarding 

content and publication should be 

directed to AOC Communications 

and Congressional Relations at 

communications@aoc.gov, 

202.228.1793, or U.S. Capitol, Room 

SB-16, Washington, DC 20515.

JOIN AOC ONLINE:

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www.aoc.gov

Visitor Assistant Lisa Kause engages 

visitors during a Family Thursday 

program. In June, the Capitol Visitor 

Center welcomed 325,768 visitors and 

and welcomed its 19 millionth visitor this 

summer since its opening in 2008.

Photo by Marcey Frutchey